Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade of 51 states in 2014, at 62,474. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 297. The median was 4,692 and the figure for the United States was 416,799. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest62,474California
Lowest297District of Columbia
Median4,69251 states
United States416,799History

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 5,245 countAlaska: 600 countArizona: 7,946 countArkansas: 2,961 countCalifornia: 62,474 countColorado: 7,155 countConnecticut: 4,431 countDelaware: 1,146 countDistrict of Columbia: 297 countFlorida: 40,215 countGeorgia: 13,171 countHawaii: 2,672 countIdaho: 1,965 countIllinois: 14,550 countIndiana: 6,397 countIowa: 3,104 countKansas: 3,200 countKentucky: 4,392 countLouisiana: 4,692 countMaine: 1,589 countMaryland: 5,896 countMassachusetts: 7,168 countMichigan: 11,387 countMinnesota: 6,797 countMississippi: 3,126 countMissouri: 6,450 countMontana: 1,307 countNebraska: 1,802 countNevada: 3,828 countNew Hampshire: 1,845 countNew Jersey: 14,516 countNew Mexico: 3,146 countNew York: 34,017 countNorth Carolina: 11,693 countNorth Dakota: 726 countOhio: 12,821 countOklahoma: 3,737 countOregon: 4,944 countPennsylvania: 14,132 countRhode Island: 1,215 countSouth Carolina: 5,324 countSouth Dakota: 890 countTennessee: 7,252 countTexas: 36,179 countUtah: 3,928 countVermont: 941 countVirginia: 7,110 countWashington: 7,737 countWest Virginia: 1,393 countWisconsin: 6,589 countWyoming: 701 count
  • Under 1,300
  • 1,300 to 3,100
  • 3,100 to 4,700
  • 4,700 to 6,900
  • 6,900 to 12K
  • 12K and over
count, 2014. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2014

California: 62,474 countCalifornia62,474Florida: 40,215 countFlorida40,215Texas: 36,179 countTexas36,179New York: 34,017 countNew York34,017Illinois: 14,550 countIllinois14,550New Jersey: 14,516 countNew Jersey14,516Pennsylvania: 14,132 countPennsylvania14,132Georgia: 13,171 countGeorgia13,171Ohio: 12,821 countOhio12,821North Carolina: 11,693 countNorth Carolina11,693Michigan: 11,387 countMichigan11,387Arizona: 7,946 countArizona7,946Washington: 7,737 countWashington7,737Tennessee: 7,252 countTennessee7,252Massachusetts: 7,168 countMassachusetts7,168Colorado: 7,155 countColorado7,155Virginia: 7,110 countVirginia7,110Minnesota: 6,797 countMinnesota6,797Wisconsin: 6,589 countWisconsin6,589Missouri: 6,450 countMissouri6,450Indiana: 6,397 countIndiana6,397Maryland: 5,896 countMaryland5,896South Carolina: 5,324 countSouth Carolina5,324Alabama: 5,245 countAlabama5,245Oregon: 4,944 countOregon4,944Louisiana: 4,692 countLouisiana4,692Connecticut: 4,431 countConnecticut4,431Kentucky: 4,392 countKentucky4,392Utah: 3,928 countUtah3,928Nevada: 3,828 countNevada3,828Oklahoma: 3,737 countOklahoma3,737Kansas: 3,200 countKansas3,200New Mexico: 3,146 countNew Mexico3,146Mississippi: 3,126 countMississippi3,126Iowa: 3,104 countIowa3,104Arkansas: 2,961 countArkansas2,961Hawaii: 2,672 countHawaii2,672Idaho: 1,965 countIdaho1,965New Hampshire: 1,845 countNew Hampshire1,845Nebraska: 1,802 countNebraska1,802Maine: 1,589 countMaine1,589West Virginia: 1,393 countWest Virginia1,393Montana: 1,307 countMontana1,307Rhode Island: 1,215 countRhode Island1,215Delaware: 1,146 countDelaware1,146Vermont: 941 countVermont941South Dakota: 890 countSouth Dakota890North Dakota: 726 countNorth Dakota726Wyoming: 701 countWyoming701Alaska: 600 countAlaska600District of Columbia: 297 countDistrict of Columbia297California: 62,474 countCalifornia62,474Florida: 40,215 countFlorida40,215Texas: 36,179 countTexas36,179New York: 34,017 countNew York34,017Illinois: 14,550 countIllinois14,550New Jersey: 14,516 countNew Jersey14,516Pennsylvania: 14,132 countPennsylvania14,132Georgia: 13,171 countGeorgia13,171Ohio: 12,821 countOhio12,821North Carolina: 11,693 countNorth Carolina11,693Michigan: 11,387 countMichigan11,387Arizona: 7,946 countArizona7,946Washington: 7,737 countWashington7,737Tennessee: 7,252 countTennessee7,252Massachusetts: 7,168 countMassachusetts7,168Colorado: 7,155 countColorado7,155Virginia: 7,110 countVirginia7,110Minnesota: 6,797 countMinnesota6,797Wisconsin: 6,589 countWisconsin6,589Missouri: 6,450 countMissouri6,450Indiana: 6,397 countIndiana6,397Maryland: 5,896 countMaryland5,896South Carolina: 5,324 countSouth Carolina5,324Alabama: 5,245 countAlabama5,245Oregon: 4,944 countOregon4,944Louisiana: 4,692 countLouisiana4,692Connecticut: 4,431 countConnecticut4,431Kentucky: 4,392 countKentucky4,392Utah: 3,928 countUtah3,928Nevada: 3,828 countNevada3,828Oklahoma: 3,737 countOklahoma3,737Kansas: 3,200 countKansas3,200New Mexico: 3,146 countNew Mexico3,146Mississippi: 3,126 countMississippi3,126Iowa: 3,104 countIowa3,104Arkansas: 2,961 countArkansas2,961Hawaii: 2,672 countHawaii2,672Idaho: 1,965 countIdaho1,965New Hampshire: 1,845 countNew Hampshire1,845Nebraska: 1,802 countNebraska1,802Maine: 1,589 countMaine1,589West Virginia: 1,393 countWest Virginia1,393Montana: 1,307 countMontana1,307Rhode Island: 1,215 countRhode Island1,215Delaware: 1,146 countDelaware1,146Vermont: 941 countVermont941South Dakota: 890 countSouth Dakota890North Dakota: 726 countNorth Dakota726Wyoming: 701 countWyoming701Alaska: 600 countAlaska600District of Columbia: 297 countDistrict of Columbia297
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2014
count		Change on 2013
1California62,474+2.6%
2Florida40,215+4.1%
3Texas36,179+5%
4New York34,017+4.2%
5Illinois14,550+1.1%
6New Jersey14,516+3.3%
7Pennsylvania14,132+0.6%
8Georgia13,171+2.1%
9Ohio12,821-0.6%
10North Carolina11,693+2%
11Michigan11,3870%
12Arizona7,946+5.7%
13Washington7,737+2.1%
14Tennessee7,252+1.1%
15Massachusetts7,168+0.4%
16Colorado7,155+3.8%
17Virginia7,110+1.3%
18Minnesota6,797+0.8%
19Wisconsin6,589+1.9%
20Missouri6,450+1.3%
21Indiana6,397+0.4%
22Maryland5,896+2.2%
23South Carolina5,324+2.2%
24Alabama5,245+3.6%
25Oregon4,944+2.6%
26Louisiana4,692+4.2%
27Connecticut4,431+0.7%
28Kentucky4,392+2.1%
29Utah3,928+5.6%
30Nevada3,828+5.1%
31Oklahoma3,737-1.6%
32Kansas3,200+1.9%
33New Mexico3,146-7.3%
34Mississippi3,126+4.7%
35Iowa3,104-2.1%
36Arkansas2,961+4.5%
37Hawaii2,672+1.1%
38Idaho1,965+1.1%
39New Hampshire1,845-0.1%
40Nebraska1,802+0.3%
41Maine1,589+1.9%
42West Virginia1,393+4%
43Montana1,307+2.8%
44Rhode Island1,215-0.6%
45Delaware1,146+4.3%
46Vermont941+6.4%
47South Dakota890+2.8%
48North Dakota726-1.8%
49Wyoming701+9.9%
50Alaska600+6.6%
51District of Columbia297+6.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in wholesale trade (NAICS 42), from the U.S. Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics.

Nonemployer Statistics: businesses with no paid employees that are subject to federal income tax, mostly the self-employed, counted from tax records, with receipts above small minimum amounts. Census says some years are not comparable with earlier ones, and they are marked as series breaks: 2018 in every sector (businesses were reclassified from their descriptions, which moved many out of other services), 2022 in every sector (new receipts cutoffs) and 2017 in utilities (the same reclassification). Most nonemployers are sole proprietors whose business may be a side activity. Published about 18 months after the reference year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2017). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/

MLA 9

Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2014. U.S. Census Bureau, 6 June 2017, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2014}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2014
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/06/06
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

California, with 62,474 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

District of Columbia, with 297 in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings